'Special': Ritika Sajdeh's Special Message For Rohit Sharma on His Record T20I Century

“Form is temporary but class is permanent” – India captain Rohit Sharma proved it again when he struck a blistering century in the third T20I against Afghanistan after returning with ducks in the first two games. Powered by his unbeaten 121-run knock, India posted a mammoth 212 runs on the board and ultimately won the match in the second Super Over to register a 3-0 whitewash. After the match was wrapped up in Bengaluru, Rohit’s wife Ritika Sajdeh dropped a three-word reaction on Instagram, referring to the Indian opener’s phenomenal performance. “Special, Just special,” Ritika wrote in a now-disappeared story along with a red heart emoji.

It was an unforgettable occasion for Sharma for several reasons. The Afghanistan series marked his maiden T20I assignment after a hiatus of almost one year. Rohit had sat out of T20I cricket since India’s exit at the 2022 T20 World Cup. Upon his return, the veteran batter not only led the Men in Blue to a resounding triumph but also broke some individual records.

Thanks to his centurion knock in the third match, Rohit currently tops the list of most T20I hundreds. He has recorded five tons in his 151 T20I appearances. He was previously level with Suryakumar Yadav and Glenn Maxwell, who have struck four T20I centuries each.

With the victory in the Bengaluru game, Rohit also equalled a long-standing record of MS Dhoni for the most T20I wins as an Indian captain. Under Rohit’s captaincy, Team India has emerged victorious in 41 out of 54 T20Is.

After reaching his half-century in the third T20I, Rohit also surpassed teammate Virat Kohli on the list of most T20I runs as an Indian skipper. During his time at the helm, Kohli led India in 50 T20I matches and aggregated a total of 1570 runs. Meanwhile, Rohit has already scored 1648 runs. World Cup-winner MS Dhoni recorded 1112 runs in 72 appearances as a T20I captain.

Despite India setting a huge target, Afghanistan showed their quality in batting in the third T20I. With three top-order batters hitting half-centuries, the visitors managed to level the score in the designated 20 overs. The first Super Over also could not decide the winner, with both teams registering 16 runs. Young spinner Ravi Bishnoi stole the show in the second Super Over with back-to-back scalps as India notched a 10-run victory.